Kang Cheolgyu (b. 1990) presents narrative paintings in which reality and fiction intersect, drawing from autobiographical experiences. He projects his inner conflicts onto specific subjects and situations, reconstructing them through a symbolic visual language. The fictional worlds he builds on canvas function as psychological landscapes—symbolic spaces that metaphorically reflect his own reality.

Kang Cheolgyu describes himself as someone who must visually express his sensations, emotions, and psychological states. According to his artist statement, he began painting as a way to cope with separation anxiety experienced during childhood and to overcome a sense of emotional deprivation.
 
To externalize and visualize these intangible inner processes, he borrows fictional elements from classical paintings, literature, and film, using them as metaphors for his current reality.

Kang describes his work as a projection of himself. He cites the definition of "projection" from the Dictionary of Literary Criticism Terms to explain his work, which goes as follows:
 
"Projection refers to the psychological act of detaching thoughts, emotions, representations, desires, etc., that exist within oneself and transferring them to the external world or others, making them appear as if they exist there."

In his early works, Kang depicted figures fading away or placed in desolate, ruin-like settings—reflecting a sense of self-loathing and helplessness. At other times, he projected a desire to escape the accelerating pace of society and the mechanical repetition of daily life by portraying figures immersed in vast natural landscapes. He also visualized narratives from literary works that resonated with his psychological state at the time, using them as a means to express his inner world.

Green, the dominant color in Kang Cheolgyu’s paintings, embodies both peace and anxiety for the artist. He explains that whenever he felt uneasy, he would paint green dots in an attempt to find calm. These dots gradually became grass, then trees, and eventually entire forests. Within these imagined landscapes, he placed figures that represent facets of his own self—continuing a psychological journey in search of inner peace.

In his 2020 solo exhibition 《Sinking Body》 at Chapter II, Kang Cheolgyu presented works in which the motif of “water”—previously a secondary element in his paintings—became a central metaphor representing human emotion and the surrounding circumstances.
 
The paintings in the exhibition depict various encounters between the body and water, with these interactions combining with compositional elements such as lighting, shading, and background to reflect psychological and existential states. The figures are portrayed confronting or being constrained by water in different forms and scales. Their consistent depiction in the nude suggests that they are not specific individuals or groups, but rather stand-ins for members of contemporary society at large.

A closer look reveals that in Nude (2022), water symbolizes the social substructures upon which various figures rely for their existence. On the other hand, Hallucinations (2022) portrays water as an ambivalent presence—both a source of pain and a refuge from life.
 
Meanwhile, Sirsasana (2022), which depicts a naked man in a headstand seemingly gazing out at the crashing sea, evokes the image of humanity hesitating before an imminent force or unknown future.

In his later works, a growing desire to break free from a fragile sense of self begins to emerge, and the figures in his paintings gradually transform into active agents. While earlier works often depicted an attempt to escape his inner struggles through elements of nature, his newer paintings shift toward confronting those very struggles head-on.
 
To move forward, Kang felt he first needed to identify what was negative in his life. However, he recalls that in the beginning, these forces felt overwhelmingly large and frightening—so much so that he couldn’t clearly define them. Though their exact nature remained uncertain, the accumulation of these negative influences eventually took the form of a black sphere in his work.

For example, the black sphere depicted in Enemy (2023) embodies a physical manifestation of a complex cluster of difficult emotions—such as anxiety, obsession, expectation, delusion, disappointment, and depression. In Compulsion (2023), the sphere is placed atop the neck of a figure representing the artist himself, symbolizing a psychological compulsion that weakens his will.
 
In an interview with Leepoetique, Kang remarked, “Looking back, the negative things in my life were mostly those that suppressed me, made me hesitate, kept me from moving forward, and pushed me toward avoidance.” His recent work has come to represent an ongoing struggle to confront and overcome such inner forces.

The artist projects the process of confronting his own issues through the metaphor of hunting. Figures with distorted human forms or hybrid human-animal bodies are often depicted hunting goats, deer, or other animals. These monstrous predators serve as metaphors for the artist’s experience of contradiction, disharmony, and a fragmented self.
 
Furthermore, Kang expresses the ironic dimensions of his life through illogical juxtapositions and surreal, incongruent scenes. For instance, in Mermaids Fishing, Goats Falling (2024), mermaids are shown fishing while goats with human faces are pushed off cliffs or held aloft like trophies after a successful hunt. Hybrid creatures embrace one another within the same frame, creating a disorienting tableau that reflects the complexity and absurdity of inner experience.

As the artist’s life became more stable, he began to explore themes of desire, control, and balance—elements he had previously been unaware of. At the same time, he started to reflect on and critique his own subconscious desires, including a sense of pride or bravado that he hadn’t fully recognized before.
 
For instance, whereas earlier works depicted scenes of hunting, more recent pieces feature deer or moose heads presented in the form of trophies. This shift represents an inversion of perspective, through which the artist turns a critical eye on his own performative desires and ego.

In addition, Kang Cheolgyu has projected his desire for self-awareness and vigilance onto artificially constructed disaster scenarios. Unlike earlier works that depict ostentatious acts—such as figures draped in strings of fish around their necks or carrying deer heads on their backs—his landscapes featuring tornadoes or lightning reflect the artist’s will to engage in self-reflection and restore inner balance.

In his 2025 solo exhibition 《Projection Note》 at the Kumho Museum of Art, Kang Cheolgyu’s recent works move beyond personal introspection to offer visual metaphors for universal emotions experienced in contemporary society—such as alienation, anxiety, desire, and self-awareness.
 
In the exhibition, the artist employed the polarized symbolic motifs of the “Stranger” and the “Predator.” While these two figures may appear conceptually opposed, Kang focused on the ambiguous and fluid boundary between them. He viewed the Stranger—an outsider pushed to the margins of society—and the Predator—one who fights to survive and fulfill desire—not as opposing forces, but as coexisting psychological states within a single being.

Additionally, the half-human, half-animal figures that have appeared throughout Kang Cheolgyu’s earlier works serve as visual representations of a divided self. These hybrid forms give shape to existential anxiety, the instability of identity, and the psychological desire to overcome such turmoil.
 
The ambiguous beings in Kang’s paintings constantly oscillate between humanity and instinct, reason and impulse. Through these figures, the artist invites viewers to confront the shadows cast within their own inner worlds.

Kang Cheolgyu’s work is not merely an act of painting, but a process of documentation—one that transparently reflects the flow of his life and inner world. Although the fictional realms depicted on his canvases originate from deeply personal narratives, the emotions he visualizes—such as unspeakable existential anxiety—resonate on a universal level, touching the inner lives of those navigating contemporary society and evoking a profound sense of empathy.

 ”I have long pondered my own identity and the unfolding of my experiences. I am the individual in question. Currently, I find myself immersed in a continuous journey of deep introspection and innovative self-expression. Through the medium of painting, I strive to authentically convey my unique experiences and inner psyche, allowing for a more profound understanding of my true self.”   (Kang Cheolgyu, from an interview at Kiaf Seoul)  

Kang Cheolgyu received his BFA in Painting and MFA in Fine Arts from Hannam University. His major solo exhibitions include 《Projection Note》 (Kumho Museum of Art, Seoul, 2025), 《Perfect Body Perfect Soul》 (Gallery IN HQ, Seoul, 2024), 《Sinking Body》 (Chapter II, Seoul, 2022), 《Collection of Short Stories: Not to Die》 (M2 Project-room, Lee Ungno Museum, Daejeon, 2021), 《I Go to the Wood》 (Artist Residency TEMI, Daejeon, 2020), among others.
 
He has also participated in group exhibitions at Arario Gallery (Seoul, 2024), Doonamjae Art Center (Seoul, 2023), Gallery Baton (Seoul, 2022), Daejeon Museum of Art (Daejeon, 2021; 2018), Galley Gabi (Seoul, 2017), Gallery Gwang, Sejong Center (Seoul, 2015) and more.
 
Kang undertook the artist-in-residency program at the Artist Residency TEMI (Daejeon, Korea) in 2020 and the Studio White Block (Cheonan, Korea) in 2023. His works are in public collections in Korea such as Seoul Museum of Art, Government Art Bank National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Daejeon Museum of Art. 

References

• 아라리오갤러리, 강철규 (Arario Gallery, Kang Cheolgyu)
• 금호미술관, [서문] 2025 금호영아티스트 - 투사일지 (Kumho Museum of Art, [Preface] 2025 KUMHO YOUNG ARTIST – Projection Note)
• 대전테미예술창작센터, [서문] 나는 숲으로 간다 (Artist Residency TEMI, [Preface] I Go to the Wood)
• 챕터투, [서문] 가라앉는 몸 (Chapter II, [Preface] Sinking Body)
• 리포에틱, [인터뷰] 강철규 (Leepoetique, [Interview] Kang Cheolgyu)
• 디자인플러스, 금호미술관이 주목한 신예 작가는 누구?, 2025.03.24
• 키아프 서울, 강철규 l 초현실적으로 그려낸 ‘내면의 사냥터’ (Kiaf Seoul, Cheolgyu KANG | Surrealistically depicted ‘Inner Hunting Grounds’)